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Quizzes > Computers & IT

HCI Test: Check Your Human-Computer Interaction Skills

Quick, free Human Computer Interaction quiz. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Yunha ChoiUpdated Aug 27, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper cut illustration of a computer monitor human figure and question mark on a coral background for HCI quiz

This HCI test helps you check your grasp of Human-Computer Interaction basics and common design principles. Work through short questions, see instant feedback, and spot topics to review before a class or exam. If you want more practice, try our human computer interaction quiz or explore an interaction design quiz to strengthen your UI instincts.

What does HCI stand for?
Human-Computer Interaction
Human-Centered Information
Human Communication Interface
Hypertext Communication Interface
HCI stands for "Human-Computer Interaction", a multidisciplinary field focused on the design and use of computer technology and the interaction between people and computers. It addresses how humans interact with computers and how to create user-friendly interfaces. The field combines aspects of computer science, psychology, design, and ergonomics.
Which two disciplines does HCI primarily combine?
Mechanical Engineering and Biology
Marketing and Design
Sociology and Archaeology
Computer Science and Psychology
HCI merges computer science, which provides technical foundations, with psychology, which offers insights into human cognition and behavior. This combination allows designers to create interfaces that align with how users think and behave. The collaboration ensures that systems are both functional and user-friendly.
Which of the following is a primary goal of HCI?
Improve usability and user satisfaction
Maximize hardware throughput
Reduce network latency
Standardize programming languages
A central goal of HCI is to improve usability, making systems efficient, effective, and satisfying for users. Usability enhancements lead to better adoption and user satisfaction. While performance metrics like latency and throughput matter, they are not the core focus of HCI.
Which device is a classic example of an HCI interface?
Laser printer
Touchscreen
Network router
Hard disk drive
Touchscreens are a direct-manipulation interface where users interact by touching graphical elements on the screen. This exemplifies HCI principles by providing intuitive, natural interactions. Other devices like routers and printers do not involve direct user manipulation in the same way.
Who is considered one of the pioneers of HCI?
Henry Ford
Douglas Engelbart
Bill Gates
Tim Berners-Lee
Douglas Engelbart is renowned for inventing the computer mouse and leading early research into human-computer interaction. His work at the Augmentation Research Center laid foundational concepts for interactive computing. Bill Gates and Tim Berners-Lee also contributed to computing but in different domains.
What term refers to how easily users can learn an interface?
Scalability
Memorability
Accessibility
Learnability
Learnability is one of Jakob Nielsen's usability heuristics and measures how quickly new users can accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design. High learnability reduces training costs and user frustration. Memorability, accessibility, and scalability are important but capture different aspects.
According to HCI, what is "affordance"?
The efficiency of algorithms
The perceived and actual properties that determine how an object could possibly be used
The compatibility with hardware
The color scheme of an interface
Affordance, coined by James Gibson and popularized by Don Norman, refers to the perceived action possibilities of an object. Good design uses affordances to signal how elements should be used, like a button that looks clickable. Color schemes and algorithm efficiency are unrelated concepts.
In the context of usability, which of these is NOT one of the five quality components often used to assess usability?
Satisfaction
Sustainability
Learnability
Efficiency
Standard usability components include effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction, learnability, and memorability. Sustainability is not typically listed among these core dimensions of usability. It may be a concern in broader system design but is not a primary usability metric.
Which law describes the time required to move to a target area as a function of distance and size?
Hick-Hyman Law
Jakob's Law
Fitts's Law
Miller's Law
Fitts's Law models the time to move to a target based on the ratio of distance to width, predicting that far and small targets take longer to acquire. It's fundamental in designing touch targets and pointing devices. Hick's Law deals with decision time, not movement.
The model that describes users' mental representation of system behavior is called what?
Data Model
Mental Model
Interaction Model
Conceptual Model
A mental model is an internal representation users form about how a system works, which guides their expectations and actions. Designers create conceptual models to shape these mental models, but the user's mental model is distinct and often incomplete.
Which evaluation method involves observing users in their own environment?
Field Study
Heuristic Evaluation
A/B Testing
Lab Study
Field studies take place in the user's natural setting, capturing real-world behavior and context. Lab studies and heuristic evaluations occur in controlled environments, while A/B testing compares versions online. Field studies reveal context-driven insights vital for user-centered design.
Nielsen's heuristic "Match between system and the real world" refers to which principle?
Use familiar language and concepts from users' real world
High performance
Advanced security
System autonomy
This heuristic advises designers to use terms, icons, and concepts familiar to users, mirroring real-world conventions and mental models. It helps reduce confusion and cognitive load. Other options relate to different aspects of system design.
The GOMS model stands for which of the following?
Goals, Operators, Methods, Selection rules
Gestures, Operators, Menus, Steps
Groups, Objectives, Methods, Systems
Goals, Objectives, Metrics, Strategies
GOMS is a predictive model for human performance in tasks, where Goals are what the user wants to achieve, Operators are basic actions, Methods are sequences of operators, and Selection rules choose among methods. It helps estimate task times.
Which concept explains the gap between user intent and system feedback?
Gulf of Execution and Gulf of Evaluation
Cognitive Dissonance
Information Scent
Human Error
Don Norman described the Gulf of Execution, where users struggle to translate goals into system actions, and the Gulf of Evaluation, where they have difficulty interpreting system feedback. Bridging these gulfs improves usability.
What does the term "Wizard of Oz" technique refer to in HCI prototyping?
Randomized user assignments
Fully automated AI testing
Remote automated logging
Simulating system behavior by a human hidden behind the scenes
In Wizard of Oz testing, a human operator secretly performs system functions to simulate advanced features, allowing designers to study user interactions before full development. This helps validate concepts early.
Which model breaks down cognitive processes into perceptual, motor, and cognitive subsystems including processors, memories, and operators?
Information Processing Model
Model Human Processor
Cognitive Load Theory
Activity Theory
The Model Human Processor by Card, Moran, and Newell specifies perceptual, cognitive, and motor processors, plus associated memory systems and operators, to predict human performance. It's foundational for HCI performance modeling.
According to the Hick-Hyman Law, decision time increases in what manner relative to the number of choices?
Exponentially
Logarithmically
Quadratically
Linearly
Hick's Law predicts that the time to make a decision grows logarithmically with the number of equally probable choices. This informs menu design and selection task complexity.
What is the main focus of Activity Theory in HCI?
Maximizing system throughput
Designing hardware controllers
Understanding user actions in context through tools and community
Implementing security protocols
Activity Theory analyzes human actions as part of goal-directed activities mediated by tools within a social and cultural context. It highlights that technology use is embedded in broader workflows.
In Fitts's Law, what effect does increasing the target distance have on movement time?
It increases movement time
It randomizes movement time
It has no effect
It decreases movement time
Fitts's Law states that movement time increases as the distance to the target increases, because the index of difficulty grows. Designers place frequent tasks closer to users for speed.
What does "PARC" stand for in the context of HCI history?
Primary Application Research Committee
Practical Analysis of Reusable Code
Palo Alto Research Center
Personal Automated Research Computer
Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) pioneered many HCI breakthroughs, including the graphical user interface and the mouse. Its innovations greatly influenced modern personal computing.
Which Gestalt principle suggests grouping related interface elements to improve comprehension?
Proximity
Closure
Similarity
Continuity
The Gestalt principle of proximity states that objects close together are perceived as related. In interface design, grouping related controls reduces visual clutter and guides user attention.
In HCI, what does the term "aesthetic-usability effect" refer to?
Usability depends on coding language
Aesthetics reduces performance
Aesthetic interfaces load slower
Users perceive more aesthetic designs as easier to use
The aesthetic-usability effect describes users' tendency to perceive visually pleasing designs as more usable, even if they have minor usability issues. It underscores the role of visual appeal in user satisfaction.
In the Keystroke-Level Model, what is the typical time assigned to a "mental" operator (M)?
1.35 seconds
2 seconds
0.5 seconds
0.2 seconds
KLM assigns a standard value of 1.35 seconds for the mental operator, representing the time a user spends mentally preparing for an action. This helps predict task completion times accurately.
Distributed cognition in HCI emphasizes what aspect of cognitive processes?
Distribution across people, artifacts, and environments
Only onboard processing
Individual memory capacity
Machine learning algorithms
Distributed cognition posits that cognitive processes are shared across individuals, tools, and external representations, rather than confined to a single mind. It broadens the analysis of interactions to entire systems.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Define what HCI stands for -

    By engaging with the quiz, you'll clearly articulate what HCI stands for and recognize its role in bridging humans and technology.

  2. Identify core HCI principles -

    Test your understanding of foundational Human-Computer Interaction concepts and distinguish key principles that drive user-centered design.

  3. Analyze HCI scenarios -

    Examine real-world interface examples and determine best practices for optimizing usability and accessibility in various contexts.

  4. Apply HCI commands requiring longer responses -

    Practice framing comprehensive answers for advanced HCI prompts and enhance your ability to articulate complex interaction strategies.

  5. Evaluate your HCI trivia knowledge -

    Challenge yourself with targeted trivia questions to gauge your mastery of human-computer interaction terminology and history.

Cheat Sheet

  1. HCI Definition and Full Form -

    HCI stands for Human-Computer Interaction, the interdisciplinary field studying how people interact with computing systems. A handy mnemonic to recall this is "Humans, Computers, Interaction" to reinforce the core components. This definition is rooted in research from ACM SIGCHI and ISO standards.

  2. Nielsen's Usability Heuristics -

    Nielsen's Usability Heuristics provide ten general principles for interface design; the most cited ones are Consistency, Informative Feedback, and Error Prevention. You can remember CFE by thinking "Caring Feedback Ensures smooth interaction." These principles come from Jakob Nielsen's research at Nielsen Norman Group.

  3. Interaction Styles Overview -

    Interaction styles range from command-line interfaces to direct manipulation; historically, some HCI commands require longer responses in text-based systems versus graphical UIs. Designing for each style involves matching control-display ratios and ensuring commands are discoverable. Foundational insights on these styles derive from Dix et al.'s "Human-Computer Interaction" (2004).

  4. Accessibility and WCAG Principles -

    Accessibility in HCI follows WCAG's four principles - Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR). You can recall these by picturing a POURing cup that fills all user needs. These guidelines are published by the W3C and ensure equitable access.

  5. Fitts's Law for Pointing Tasks -

    Fitts's Law predicts that movement time (T) to a target depends on distance (D) and width (W) via the formula T = a + b·log2(D/W + 1). For instance, increasing a button's size (W) or reducing its distance (D) speeds up user pointing tasks. This law has been empirically validated in HCI research at Carnegie Mellon University.

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